Cultural Psychology reviews the cultural, community, and ecological
factors that play a role in how people perceive their environment. It
is the integration of the nature and nurture phenomenas, whereby an
individual’s psyche is determined, or at least influenced, by both that
individual’s culture and those other cultures to which the individual is
exposed. This may include many layers and levels, such as those
discussed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, including the
microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. For
example: On a small scale, it is easy to see how an individual living in
New York City would encounter different psychosocial stressors than a
person living on a farm in Iowa might. On a much larger scale, a person
living in the United States may differ greatly, in cultural terms, from
an individual living in China. It may be easy to tell that two cultures
are different from one another, but identifying exactly what we mean—and
all that is encompassed—when we speak about “culture” can be much more
difficult. Culture can include everything from ancient religion, gender
constructs, race/ethnicity, and regional differences, to the effect of
new technologies or artistic movements. All of these aspects of culture
can affect an individual’s psychology. It is salient to note that
culture differs from individual to individual, because two people
growing up in the same type of environment may internalize situations
and environmental factors differently based upon their own makeup and
past experiences of which they use to filter the new experiences. It is
important to note that cultural psychology is a relatively new field of
psychology and, as such, many questions in the field remain unanswered.
And since psychology has largely developed out of a Western
philosophical tradition, the information in the field is mostly from a
Western (Western European and North American) cultural standpoint. The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders had begun to
address this through culture-bound syndromes, although many of the other
disorders have yet to address some cultural differences in the means in
which a person may present with them or other cultural considerations.
For example, hearing the voice of a person who has passed away may be
considered a normal part of bereavement for some persons of Native
American or Latino cultures, while other people may view it as abnormal
and seek to label the patient/client as having depression with psychotic
features or the like. The goal of this course is to investigate the ways
in which culture can affect aspects of that individual’s psychology. We
begin by reviewing the history and major theories of cultural psychology
before moving on to a more in-depth examination of culture and its
relationship to cognition, intelligence, emotion, motivation, and
behavior. We end the course with a discussion of how human development
and psychological disorders are affected by culture.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able
to:

Identify current trends in contemporary cultural
psychology and compare and contrast these concepts with historical
and empirical psychological theory.

Course Information

Primary Resources: This course is composed of a range of different
free, online materials. However, the course makes primary use of the
following materials:

iTunesU lectures from professors around the
globe

YouTube videos

Requirements for Completion: In order to complete this course, you
will need to work through each unit andall of its assigned materials.
You will also need to complete a final exam. In order to “pass” this
course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the final exam. Your
score on the exam will be tabulated as soon as you complete it. If you
do not pass the exam, you may take it again.

Time Commitment: This course should take you a total of 71 hours
to complete, not including the final examination. Each unit includes a
“time advisory” that lists the amount of time you are expected to spend
on each subunit. These should help you plan your time accordingly. It
may be useful to take a look at these time advisories and determine how
much time you have over the next few weeks to complete each unit and
then set goals for yourself. For example, Unit 1 should take you 11
hours. Perhaps you can sit down with your calendar and decide to
complete subunit 1.1 (a total of 7 hours) on Monday and Tuesday nights,
subunit 1.2 (a total of 1 hour) on Wednesday night, and subunit 1.3 (a
total of 3 hours) on Thursday night, and so forth.

Tips/Suggestions: It is recommended that with each unit and subunit,
you reflect on your own cultural values and beliefs, as well as utilize
the knowledge you are gaining in this class in order to help you learn
more about other cultures around you.

Also, it is of utmost importance to ensure that you are aware that
cultural concepts are generalized in many senses, but all humans are
also shaped by their individual experiences, so these concepts are fluid
and dynamic. This course is applicable in all fields in order to
broaden your basis of understanding regarding cultural constructs.

Table of Contents: You can find the course's units at the links below.